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Selected as an astronaut in 1998,.Leland
D. Melvin received a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from
the University of Richmond and a master of science degree in materials
science engineering from the University of Virginia.

NASA astronaut and former NFL player Leland Melvin will visit with
more than 450, K-12 students from the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls
Club & Community Center, and their teachers, on Wednesday, March
19 at 4:15 p.m. at M.S. 142, 3750 Baychester Avenue, Bronx, N.Y.

Melvin will explain NASA's Educator Astronaut Program (EAP) and
encourage interest among young people in science, technology, engineering
and mathematics. Melvin, co-program manager of the EAP, along with
co-program manager Debbie Brown, have criss-crossed the country
since the Program's inception in January. They meet face-to-face
with students and teachers as a part of NASA's effort to connect
space exploration with the classroom and to inspire the next generation
of explorers.

"In addition to showing students just how much fun science
learning can be, I believe it is essential to highlight the need
for students to develop an academic and career plan of action that
includes alternatives, a plan B, if you will," Melvin said.
Injured at the cusp of his professional football career, Melvin
pursued an alternative passion for engineering that led to his application
to and acceptance into NASA's Permanent Astronaut Corps in 1998.

"Our young people are thrilled about a NASA astronaut coming
to visit the Bronx," said Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club
& Community Center's Executive Director Charles Rosen. "This
is a rare opportunity for the children of our community to get revved
about learning science by meeting a young astronaut whose background
is similar to their own in many ways. We're delighted to host him
and help support the NASA Educator Astronaut Program," he said.

Through the EAP, NASA, for the first time, is recruiting individuals
with specific experience and expertise in K-12 education, and planning
to send them into space as fully trained NASA astronauts. Melvin
will encourage the Center's students to nominate their teachers
for the EAP. The EAP application deadline is April 30, 2003.

For more information about the EAP, application process, and eligibility
requirements, on the Internet, visits the NASA EAP Web site at:
http://edspace.nasa.gov/

The Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club & Community Center advocates
and develops social, recreational and educational programs that
connect young people with opportunities for personal growth and
achievement. Over the past 25 years, the Center has provided hundreds
of girls and boys with daily, guidance-oriented character development
programs, firmly establishing a reputation as "The Positive
Place for Kids" in the North East Bronx.

Melvin will also make an earlier appearance in the Bronx on March
19 at 3:00 p.m. at Intermediate School 162 as a part of the NASA
Starship 2040 exhibit tour of New York State, hosted in the Bronx
by the Office of Congressman Jose E. Serrano. The tour of Starship
2040, a mock-up of a futuristic spaceliner, highlights the significant
role New York plays in America's space program. Starship 2040 is
used as an opportunity to excite students about future possibilities
and encourage an interest in science.

To schedule an interview with Melvin, in conjunction with his Bronx
area appearances, contact Gretchen Cook-Anderson at: 202/358-0836.

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